Apple's iOS and Google's Android together have reached close to 55 percent market penetration of the estimated 200 million potential smart device purchasers in the U.S., while the two platforms have the most room to grow in China, which has 122 million untapped potential users, according to a new analysis.

A study published by mobile analytics firm Flurry on Friday broke down the active installed base of iOS and Android across a number of international markets. According to the report, the U.S. maintains a strong lead, with an estimated installed base of 109 million users, or 41 percent of the global market.

The U.S. was followed by China which had 35 million active users. The U.K. took third place with 17 million users, followed by Japan, France and Germany, each with 10 million users.

To estimate the the active installed base, Flurry tracked its data-set of more than 140,000 apps to count the number of iOS and Android users that launched an app over the last 30 days. The report did note that, since it only counted recently used devices, its estimate of 264 million active users is roughly half of the cumulative totals that Apple and Google have announced, which count old devices as well.

In order to calculate the total addressable market, Flurry took the "adult" population counts from the International Monetary Fund and then calculated the size of the middle class in each country using a study by Miller-McCune. The firm also added on the estimated size of the upper class for each country and then subtracted out the current active installed base in order to arrive at the number of customers around the world who can afford a smartphone and are not using Android or iOS.

Not surprisingly, China, the world's most populous nation, was the top country, with a potential upside of 122 million users. Market research firm Strategy Analytics recently revealed that China became the world's largest smartphone market in terms of volume in the third quarter.

The U.S. came in second with 91 million untapped customers, followed by India with 75 million. Japan and Brazil rounded out the top five with 65 and 34 million, respectively.

Flurry then compared active iOS and Android installed bases against the total addressable market to find which smartphone markets were the most mature, regardless of size. Sweden came out on top with 66 percent market penetration, followed by Australia and Hong Kong.

Among the top ten largest markets tracked by Flurry, India came in as the least penetrated with just 3.4 million active iOS and Android users and 75 million potential users. Japan also showed plenty of room for growth with an installed base of 10.3 million users and a potential upside of 65 million customers.

In just a few years, Apple and Google have risen to prominence in the smartphone market, with no signs of letting up. Android is likely to continue sustained growth worldwide, as Google executive Andy Rubin revealed earlier this week that daily activations for the platform have reached 700,000 units per day. Though the platform's growth has slowed some since this summer, it remains the largest platform in terms of volume in most markets around the world.

For its part, Apple is poised to post its best quarter ever for iPhone shipments and is guiding for record earnings that could represent the biggest blowout in history, with Apple's two largest markets, the U.S. and China, expected to lead the way. According to one recent survey, customers now rate Apple as the leading smartphone brand in China. Meanwhile, in its home country, the company expanded its carrier partnerships this year to include Verizon and Sprint, covering three of the four major wireless operators in the U.S.

It's crazy to see how fast people are adopting smartphones. This makes information reach more and more people around the world much faster. Now people have computers in their hands and for much less than an actual computer.

This is why Apple said that we're living in a post PC world. Just like in third world countries people skipped home telephones and just adopted cell phones; people will do the same with the internet. Instead of buying a whole home computer, they gonna skip that and buy a smartphone or a tablet.

Pretty much a company that has a vision and investment in mobile computing is the one who is gonna win at the end.

In the US we're talking less than a dollar a day for the average data plan, which is probably less per day than people spend on their average pre-smartphone bill. I bet I could panhandle for that in under an hour on any given day downtown.

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In the US we're talking less than a dollar a day for the average data plan, which is probably less per day than people spend on their average pre-smartphone bill. I bet I could panhandle for that in under an hour on any given day downtown.

If that's downtown Bagdad by the Bay -- you'd need to wear a Santa hat... and nothing else...

...freeze warning tonight!

"Swift generally gets you to the right way much quicker." - auxio -

"The perfect [birth]day -- A little playtime, a good poop, and a long nap." - Tomato Greeting Cards -

In the US we're talking less than a dollar a day for the average data plan, which is probably less per day than people spend on their average pre-smartphone bill. I bet I could panhandle for that in under an hour on any given day downtown.

Heck, I spend $5 a day on a latte, most every day, at the local Caribou.

Heck, I spend $5 a day on a latte, most every day, at the local Caribou.

$4.35 every morning at Starbucks for me. It's a sickness!

In reality, even if you are by definition "homeless" I would not be surprised if many have smartphones. Regardless of your financial position a couple dollars a day for a phone that can keep you in contact with the world in so many ways is pretty cheap. I think many homeless are in coffee shops and libraries as it is either using their own computers or the ones offered. I'm sure are too mentally or addiction consumed to have such things but I think most are likely sane and drug free, but maybe that is wishful thinking on my part.

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In reality, even if you are by definition "homeless" I would not be surprised if many have smartphones. Regardless of your financial position a couple dollars a day for a phone that can keep you in contact with the world in so many ways is pretty cheap. I think many homeless are in coffee shops and libraries as it is either using their own computers or the ones offered. I'm sure are too mentally or addiction consumed to have such things but I think most are likely sane and drug free, but maybe that is wishful thinking on my part.

You guys are crazy. Data plans are in addition to regular voice plans, so are about 1000 per year on the cheap side on the plan as opposed to about 360 per year on a dumb phone on the cheap side. . Don't care how much that is per day that is still serious money for homeless people or those near the bottom of income distribution. That's just rediculous talk.

At minimum... you're looking at $80 a month before taxes, insurance and other fees.

You don't know how lucky you are!

Wow... I wouldn't be able to afford a smart phone in the USA.

£30 ($47) gets me an iPhone4 32GB (£180/$294 upfront cost), unlimited texts, 3GB of data, Tethering, 500mins to any UK landline number or UK mobile network and unlimited mins to anyone on the same network (3Three UK). $80 (£60) is the price you'd pay in the UK for a contract with unlimited everything. Though a new deal just appeared on my network - £35 a month gets you exactly the same thing I'm on now but truly unlimited data allowance. Friend downloaded 64GB one month (just moved in, no broadband) and didn't get charged a single penny extra. He hasn't bothered getting a fixed internet connection because of it.

In order to calculate the total addressable market, Flurry took the "adult" population counts from the International Monetary Fund and then calculated the size of the middle class in each country using a study by Miller-McCune. The firm also added on the estimated size of the upper class for each country and then subtracted out the current active installed base in order to arrive at the number of customers around the world who can afford a smartphone and are not using Android or iOS.

This seems a little inacurate. My wife and I both upgrade our phone each year and give the old ones to our kids. I would say 70% of kids in the local primary (elimentary) school have a smart phone.

My eldest just went on to secondary school adn everyone in her class has a smartphone. Assuming that only adults have smartphones is a bit of a stretch.

These are the flakiest numbers I have ever seen in any tech analysis. What a waste of an article. Looking at population sizes, actual users and potentials just do not add up to any logical consistency.

When I find time to rewrite the laws of Physics, there'll Finally be some changes made round here!

I am not crazy! Three out of five court appointed psychiatrists said so.

Thats expensive. I pay .5 euro per day, but that includes voice and text and unlimited data.

J.

What country are you in and how many carriers do you guys have? I would like to know a bit more of how this works outside the US.

I am pretty used to monopoly pricing here in the states, both ATT and Verizon charge the exact same price (one charge more for minutes, other charge more for data). Sprint is a bit cheaper, but not as good a choice for speed or call quality.

£30 ($47) gets me an iPhone4 32GB (£180/$294 upfront cost), unlimited texts, 3GB of data, Tethering, 500mins to any UK landline number or UK mobile network and unlimited mins to anyone on the same network (3Three UK). $80 (£60) is the price you'd pay in the UK for a contract with unlimited everything. Though a new deal just appeared on my network - £35 a month gets you exactly the same thing I'm on now but truly unlimited data allowance. Friend downloaded 64GB one month (just moved in, no broadband) and didn't get charged a single penny extra. He hasn't bothered getting a fixed internet connection because of it.

You guys are crazy. Data plans are in addition to regular voice plans, so are about 1000 per year on the cheap side on the plan as opposed to about 360 per year on a dumb phone on the cheap side. . Don't care how much that is per day that is still serious money for homeless people or those near the bottom of income distribution. That's just rediculous talk.

Sure, $30 for a data plan might not be the first thing they consider, but my point stands. It's not an excessive amount and easily obtained. If you go for 200MB it's only $15/month.

And how do you define homeless? I define it as people without a home, not necessarily those without jobs without families or friends, or as some drug addled lunatic. The housing market and resulting economic crash has put many on the streets in this country so I think a cellphone is their only option for a real phone outside of checking a library computer to check a Google Voice number. Are we also saying that it's unreasonable for a homeless person to have a cellphone or to be keeping up appearances or to be looking or have a job? Can you say it's unfathomable that someone living in their car wouldn't have a cellphone? I think it's likely they would which is why I wouldn't be surprised if some had a data plan.

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Huh? Which carrier is this? O2 charges 10£ ($16) for 1GB of data. If you double that to get 2GB you get more than what it costs in the US so there is no the US plans suck in every way and aspect truth here.

Then you have to consider other things like range. For someone that travels 2500 miles between LA and NYC they can still use the same plan, but you pop across the Irish Sea or English Channel you have to switch out PINs and use an entirely different plan, and it's cheaper and faster to travel to other parts of Europe than travel across the US.

edit: I see Three offers the all you can eat deal for 35£ ($55) per month but we're talking about the UK's smallest, least popular carrier. Usually that means that something is amiss compared to the others which is why they are trying to compete so hard. T-Mobile USA is the US's 4th largest carrier, though not its smallest, and it has to try harder to get more business and doesn't have the infrastructure of the others.

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Huh? Which carrier is this? O2 charges 10£ ($16) for 1GB of data. If you double that to get 2GB you get more than what it costs in the US so there is no the US plans suck in every way and aspect truth here.

Then you have to consider other things like range. For someone that travels 2500 miles between LA and NYC they can still use the same plan, but you pop across the Irish Sea or English Channel you have to switch out PINs and use an entirely different plan, and it's cheaper and faster to travel to other parts of Europe than travel across the US.

edit: I see Three offers the all you can eat deal for 35£ ($55) per month but we're talking about the UK's smallest, least popular carrier. Usually that means that something is amiss compared to the others which is why they are trying to compete so hard. T-Mobile USA is the US's 4th largest carrier, though not its smallest, and it has to try harder to get more business and doesn't have the infrastructure of the others.

Is Three the smallest carrier? They were the first 3G carrier and are also a virtual carrier (they get to use all other carriers networks I believe). Even so, they provide, by far, the fastest 3G service in the UK and have a very wide coverage.

Is Three the smallest carrier? They were the first 3G carrier and are also a virtual carrier (they get to use all other carriers networks I believe). Even so, they provide, by far, the fastest 3G service in the UK and have a very wide coverage.

If they have secured agreements to also piggyback on other's networks it seems unlikely they would faster than the networks they are utilizing. Regardless, I have no idea who the fastest is, who has the best service, or whatever metric one can use; I'm certain Three is a great choice for many reasons — just like every US carrier has their pros (and cons) — but you need to consider why they are offering cheaper plans than other UK carriers and why other markets might have higher or lower tariffs for a certain service.

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A heads-up for anyone considering an iPhone4 for a family member. Best Buy is offering the iPhone 4, 32GB, as a Buy One/Get One Free deal (BOGO). Good timing for last minute shopping. Service plan is available for either ATT or Verizon.

That's an example of Best Buy not selling but having paid for all their old, outdated stock of 32GB iPhone 4s which Apple no longer sells.

Yeah... and honestly a sign that sometimes the same thing happens to Apple that happens to other manufacturers - product gets shipped from Apple to the reseller and is thus "sold" but still sits in stock at that reseller for a while. I wonder why BB waited so long to try to clear them out - seems like Black Friday would have been a great time to get a storeful of people buying things they don't need. Today, from what I've seen, stores are ghost towns.